Aotrew peterson



Feb 5, 19241, 1,482/598 A. PETERSON PUMP AGITATOR Filed July 24. 1923atented Feb. 5, 1924.

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ANDREW PETERSON, 01F BROOKLYN, YORK.

PUMP AGITATOR.

a lication filed July 24, 1923. Serial no. 653,526.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW PETERSON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PumpAgitators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to furnish an air agitator and mixer atthe suction end of a pumping apparatus.

My invention has 'for its object to break up solid and semi-solidmaterial and mix water therewith into an intimate emulsion which can behandled by the pumping apparatus.

My invention has for still further an object to use com ressed air as apumping agent, the air, being injected into the resulting mixture oremulsion which is to be pumped from the air agitator.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a general layout of a dredging barge using myinvention.

Figures 2 and 3 show the detail construction of the air agitator withthe discharge hose shown removed in Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters designatecorresponding parts, 1 designates the dredging barge proper on which theair compressor (2) is mounted. The air agitator (3) is suspended fromthe boom (4) by means of a wire rope 5), which winds up over thehand-driven drum (6). The flexible hose (7) is coupled to the dischargepipe (8) of the air compressor (2) and is screwed into the connection(9) situated at the top of the air agitator (3). A small hole (10) isdrilled in the connection (9). A nozzle (11) at the end of a bent pipeis centrally placed in the discharge opening (12) of the air agitator(3), the discharge opening (12) being located Well down from the top ofthe air agitatoi' (3) thus leaving a chamber (13) adapt.- ed for thetrapping of air which enters through the opening (10) into the chamber13). Peripheral openings (14) located at the bottom rim of the airagitator (3) admit water to the air agitator (3) and this water,

together with the dredged material is dischar ed into the dredging barge(1) through the exible hose (15).

The operation is as follows:

The air agitator (3) is lowered to the bottom until a slack in the line(5) appears.

The compressor (2) having been started, the compressed air entersthe'discharge hose (15) through the nozzle (11).

Compressed air enters the air agitator (3) through the opening (10) andis trapped in the top part (13) of the air agitator (3).

The air in entering the discharge hose (15) mixes with the water andpropels the water through the discharge hose (15) into the dredgingbarge (1).

In the meantime air enters the air agitator (3) through the smallopening (10) and is trapped in the upper part (13) of the air agitator(3).

The air being an elastic medium will immediately respond to amomentarily pressure difference and a pulsating movement will occur,which churns up the dredged material in the water entering into thelower part of the agitator (3) through the openings (14-).

Also when the air entering the trap top reaches the discharge opening(12) the contained air will suddenly blow into the discharge hose (15).The compensating water cannot enter quickly enough through the openings(14) and the bottom to be dredged will bulge into the air agitator whichwill consequently he pulled down as far as the slack in the line (5)allows;

For certain material it will be found advantageous to use a screenedbottom for the air agitator and the bottom will, in bulging into the airagitator, be cut up into fragments by the screen.

The barge is moved along as the dredging proceeds and the operation isrepeated.

I claim:

The method of trapping air into the top of an inverted and submerged airchamber open at the bottom and resting upon the material to be pumped.the subsequent and repeated discharge of said trapped air causingpulsating action of the water contained in the lower part of thesubmerged air chamber. said action breaking up and mixing the materialto be pumped with the water entering the submerged air chamber.

ANDREW PETERSON.

Witnesses GUNNAR C. ENes'rRANo, CHAS A. G. Amus'rnono.

Jim

